England v President’s Board XI

England have had a mixed start to their tour of India. Their first warm-up resulted in a slightly hollow win. Their latest practice game, however, is nothing short of a disaster and will shortly be all over. Bowled out for 238 in their first innings, they outdid themselves in their second innings to crumble to just 158.

This isn’t to discredit the performance of the Board XI, of course. They’re a very good side – Munaf Patel took five and by all accounts is a fine prospect – but they shouldn’t be beating an international team with such ease. Problems exist, therefore, and it’s quite a concern (if you support England). The batting, so far, looks weak and vulnerable; if they are to amend their pre-Christmas wobble in Pakistan, someone has to start scoring big double centuries this time next week.